Trade between Europe and China is essential to China Shipping's European set-up. The organisation was established 15 years ago and is controlled by China Shipping Europe Holding Company in Hamburg.

As holding company president, Liu Zhongping manages 16 agencies of which China Shipping Germany is the biggest and most important.

"Liner transport from and to the Far East is a core business for China Shipping," Liu says. China Shipping Container Lines (CSCL) employs its fleet's largest container vessels for this service. The vessels will be upgraded from 14 to 18.4 twenty-foot-equivalent-unit capacity next year. CSCL believes in strong European markets, especially Germany where key industries include automotive, machinery and chemicals.

The Hamburg-based German agency focuses on these markets, while managing its local network in Bremen and in Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. This enables it to meet customer expectations.

The German agency stands out with service that understands the customer's business. It possesses the experience and perspective of its entire logistics chain, offering door-to-door service that integrates inland waterway transport, railways and logistics on land. Its dedicated staff is supported by a global computer system for fast and default-free documentation.

China Shipping has some of the fastest and most reliable transit times and provides awarded schedule integrity. Many of its customers are German industry leaders including Daimler, BMW and BASF. Large forwarding companies also rely on China Shipping Germany.

"The market coverage will be further improved by more depots and information technology links wherever it makes sense for our customers," Liu says.

As a state-owned company, CSCL has sufficient equipment in depots throughout the mainland and the Far East. Together with its upgrading plan for ultra-large environment-friendly container ships, CSCL strengthens its European efforts with investments in more depots, railway connections and barge operators. Its network and experience on the mainland has cemented its reputation as a Sino-Europe specialist.